This invention relates to chairs of the type used for invalids and, more particularly, to an invalid's chair in which the backrest and seat portion are pivotable in such a manner as to be readily accomplished by the attendant with minimum force and with minimum displacement of the patient.
Wheelchairs have generally been designed as a means for moving nonambulatory patients from one location to another but, more recently, such conventional types of wheelchairs are being used more in nursing homes for accommodating the patients or elderly residents for extended periods of time. For this purpose, the conventional wheelchair is totally unsuitable from the standpoint of patient comfort and adequate body support.
In many cases, an elderly patient lacks the muscular control to remain seated in a chair without having his head or upper torso lean uncontrollably to one side or the other side of the chair. Moreover, each patient has highly individualized requirements in chair size, shape and support features required for maximum comfort for persons seated for lengthy continuous periods of time.
The prior art discloses many attempts to improve on conventional wheelchairs, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,497,259; 3,640,571; 3,704,910; 4,073,537; 4,333,681 and 4,565,385. None of these patents, however, disclose an invalid's chair having all the advantageous features which contribute to the comfort and versatility of the chair embodying this invention.
The principal object of this invention is to provide an invalid's chair having novel constructional features not heretofore available.
Another object of this invention is to provide a chair of the above-type which is constructed to facilitate the tilting of the back support and seat portions thereof with minimum force by the attendant.
A further object of this invention is to provide a chair of the above-type in which body support members are universally adjustable with a single knob.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a chair having separately adjustable lower and upper back support cushions.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a seat cushion having means by which its contour can be readily varied.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a chair in which the seat and back frame are each separately controlled by separate hydraulic control cylinders.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: